Darren Gough

60 SECONDS EXTRA!:Yorkshire and England pacemanDarren Goughhas been the country’s best strike bowler for years. Often accused of trying more for country than county, he had a public falling out with his captain David Byas when Yorkshire won the county championship in 2001. Blighted by career-threatening injuries during the last year, he’s back on the field and promoting the Youth Sport Trust and Cadbury’s Get Active scheme.Look out for Metro Café’ exclusive questions.Chat cricket.

A sportsman promoting chocolate?

I’m a patron of the Youth Sporting Trust and we all know that kids love chocolate. What we’re saying is that, in moderation, it’s good, but you need to increase your physical activity if you’re going to scoff it.

So have you been pigging out on chocolate while injured?

Er… yeah. A little bit. It’s got calcium and magnesium in it, so it is good for you. Over the last 20 weeks, I’ve been giving it some in pre-season, so I’ve had as much chocolate as I want. It’s not affected me one bit.

What about your own kids?

They love the stuff. And since I separated, they love coming to my house now as they tend to get what they want but I make them go and play in the garden for ten minutes first. Then they get a Dairy Milk.

Are your kids handy with a bat and ball?

The eldest one is good at everything: football, cricket, running. The youngest is only five, so he’s not that refined just yet. He’s always losing to his big brother.

Playing for England, you could give him some advice on that.

Some people would say I couldn’t give him advice on losing. We’ve not done that badly when I’ve played.

Did you ever think you’d never make a comeback?

Of course I did. Even up to six weeks ago, I’d wake up some mornings and wonder whether it was all worth it. Just coming back and playing my first game at the beginning of the season proved that it was. I proved so many people wrong – if it was the only game I ever played again it wouldn’t matter.

Have you kissed and made up with Yorkshire?

It was never the case that I was going to leave and join another county. There was one person who kept writing the same rubbish week after week. I’ve always been looked after here and been on long contracts. I’m from Barnsley and, although I don’t live there any more, you can’t take the Barnsley out of anyone. I’m Yorkshire ’til I die.

Why move down south?

I didn’t really. I live in Yorkshire during the week and down south at weekends. The reason I bought a property there was because that’s where my wife’s moved with the kids. And I want to stay in touch with the kids and be able to see them when I can.

Some Yorkies say you save your best for England. True?

I’d say England brings the best out in me. The same people who said that about me will be saying the same about Michael Vaughan soon. His record for Yorkshire is poorer than it is for England. In my benefit year, I broke the total raised for a Yorkshire cricketer by a lot of money. Someone there must like me.

Don’t you get fed up getting stick?

I’m a football supporter – you go one week and someone’s crap. You go the next and they call him a world beater. Most sportsmen are strong enough to handle that. I’ve seen players that aren’t and they didn’t make it. You’ll always get it at a cricket ground. Most of the supporters are over 60, so they’ll moan about something.

Old farts?

Not at all. They love cricket and were brought up on a diet of Yorkshire being a proud county. They want Yorkshire to be successful and when they see one of their best players not doing too well they get frustrated. The game has changed since I started in 1989 and most of the supporters don’t see that. Things like the fitness work – unless you’re close to it and see it, you don’t know. They should be told more so that they understand.

How can England get better?

We need a blend. People are saying everyone over 30 should be dropped and youngsters brought in. That’s rubbish. Look at Manchester United – they bring in one young player a season. We had a successful side a couple of years ago, but injuries set in, there were a couple of retirements, and then we were snookered before the World Cup started by not playing Zimbabwe. We’re not a bad team, we just need the right blend.

The highlight of your career?

It would be just pulling on the shirt of Yorkshire and then, hopefully, England again. Looking back on a personal level, it would have to be my hat-trick against Australia in Sydney in January 1999 – Iwas the only bowler to do it for 100 years. On a team level, it would be us beating the Aussies in Melbourne in the same series. Playing against Australia is hard.

Will it get easier, if they start playing ambidextrous as suggested?

That’s typical Aussie bulls***. I’m ambidextrous – I bowl right-handed and play snooker and darts with my left. It’s preposterous: let’s just say that I hope Matthew Hayden comes out in a Test match batting right-handed instead of left – I’d be quite happy with that.

What’s been your favourite sledge?

You can’t repeat most of the stuff that’s said when people are sledging. I love it. The thing that makes me laugh is people who think they can sledge and can’t. You get the most unfunny people trying to do it and it sounds daft. We’ve a couple in the England side. We tell him not to say anything – he’s the worst sledger in the world.

Who’s that?

Have a guess – he bowls.

Andy Caddick?

Yep. He can’t sledge to save his life.

Where does the Rhino nickname come from?

Because I’ve got a big horn. No don’t put that. Steve Rhodes gave me it in 1993 – he said I’d run through a brick wall for people if they asked.

You, Geoff Boycott and Dickie Bird having a pint. Who’s buying?

Me. Dickie would never get his hands in his pocket and would fall over if he smelt a whole pint. Boycs is a hero, so I could never let him pay.

Are you on Byas’s Christmas card list?

No, but we do chat. David and I do get on – it was just a row that got badly reported in the media. We played together for 12 years. I like him and the way he plays his cricket. I’d hope he says the same thing about me. I did enjoy getting him out the last time I played against him, though, after he moved to Lancashire.

Did you give him any stick for moving to the arch enemy?

I didn’t have to; he got enough from other people. We let a good player go, and if they were the only county that wanted him, fair play to him for going.